Currently, during the assembly process of a vehicle such as a motorized vehicle and specifically a large truck, the nose section which is both heavy and bulky must be connected to the truck's cab section. Hinges are typically employed to connect the nose to the cab. Unfortunately, this assembly procedure is difficult and time-consuming because the nose must be supported while the hinges are fastened in place. In other words, while the entire nose must be supported, in a very exacting position, so that the hinge may be finally connected to both the nose and cab. This type of assembly also requires that the hinges be located on the outside of the cab and nose. "Supporting Two Members Together" issued to Jeffrey E. Kearney. While the hinge disclosed in the Kearney patent is satisfactory for many applications, it has been found to be highly desirable to provide a hinge assembly capable of being installed easily and quickly to the cab in a way which does not require that the nose be supported by external means during the assembly process.
Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide a hinge assembly which will allow the nose to be installed easily and quickly to the cab.
It is another object of the invention to provide a hinge assembly which will allow the nose to be pivotally mounted for movement between its closed and opened positions from outside the cab and without first completely securing the hinge assembly, whereby the hinge assembly can be releasably secured with the nose in its pivotally opened position and whereby external support means are unnecessary during the initial attachment procedure.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a hinge assembly which will attach the nose securely to the cab with a release mechanism located within the nose when the latter is in its closed position.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an assembly, consistent with the foregoing objects, which is durable, compact (in that it will not interfere with the normal movement of the nose), easy to install and maintain, and is economical to manufacture.